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Are They Out of Their Minds in Alaska?

March 08, 2006 | Wolves / Alaska Boycott

You've probably heard about it: They hunt wolves from the air in Alaska. Friends of Animals sued on behalf of the wolves, and in the interest of bringing sanity to Alaska. And the Superior Court said the state's aerial wolf-shooting scheme was breaking the law. But within days, the Board of Game concocted new rules. Hunters are back up in the air -- and out of their minds.

That's why, beginning in the 13 March edition of USA Today, the world will see advertisements reading "If you shoot wolves to save moose, and then you shoot the moose, you're either out of your mind or in Alaska."

Advertisements will also run in other high-profile publications, including The Nation (3 April), The Progressive (May), and Harper's (May).

Boycott Alaska ad, appearing in USA Today on Monday, March 13, 2006

"Aerial wolf-shooting has long been a thrill-seeking opportunity," said Priscilla Feral, Friends of Animals president. "But Board of Game members insist that there's a reason for what they enable."

And here it is: Wolves must be gunned down to stop them from killing moose. That way, later on, other hunters can kill the moose. And this is why they're aiming for 400 more wolves this spring.

You can help. Stay in your right mind, and pledge to avoid travel to Alaska.

A gallery of wolf supporters have converged at www.boycott-alaska.com. So far, a hundred people have posted their photos, and more are coming each day to declare: "We'd rather be here than in Alaska." Pictures are arriving from individuals and groups near iconic landmarks and destinations, lines at local banks and post offices, and packed subway cars.

Comments

Submitted by gary c on Sun, 2006-04-09 13:49

the alaska game board has postponed till may a lot of the future decisions re: their barbaric predator control measures. guess they figure with spring and everybody onto other things, they could hide what they are doing. does anybody here know when that meeting will be? i've looked all over and have yet to find date(s).
thanks
gary c. ER,Ak
[Blog editors' note: Supposedly the date should fall before May 25. FoA's legal interventions have impacted how quickly the Board moves on its wolf control schemes. ]

This add angers me. Just listen to what I have to say about it before you blow me off to skip this article. Take this point of view from someone that has been here for a long time.
I have lived in alaska my whole life. Yeah, our people kill some wolves, but that is so the people that live in the villages such as alaska natives can have enough moose meat for themselves, because it gets lower than negative 50 farenheit lots of the time in winter, and they can not go hunting for a long time in that temperature, so, they need more of a source of their moose. In order to have more moose, then they have to kill more of what is lowering the moose population. So, therefore, I dont think it is a heartless thing to do as some of you put it, I think of it as survival.
In a lot of places in Alaska, it is just fine to visit, for instance, Anchorage, Alaska, or Fairbanks, Alaska you wont be seeing any shootings of wolves, and if you do then im surprised, because I have lived here for years, and I haven't even seen a wild wolf other than at the zoo.
[Blog editors' note: True, there hasn't been any wolf control in downtown Anchorage or outside the boutiques of Fairbanks, yet. Because you're not shooting moose off your back porch doesn't mean wolves have decimated moose. Approximately 90,000 residents in Alaska have hunting licenses. Many of these residents are killing moose. Although Fish & Game doesn't provide a scientifically reliable count of wolves, let's estimate liberally that there are 5,000 wolves (we're subtracting the deaths of 2,000 or more this winter). Wolves need to hunt moose and other animals to survive; two-legged hunters don't. Two-legged hunters vastly outnumber
wolves and bears, and they're big time whiners, unlike the wolves and bears. ]

you're boycott is ridiculous...why don't you just say 'boycott the entire united states', there are plenty of reasons you could spin if you wanted... (secretly I hope it works though because the tourism industry up here is worse than any wolf kill program, most of the money is made by out of state companies who lay down in the summer and pack up in the winter, there isn't as much trickle down as you'd think) Happy Boycotting!

why bob? why try, in vain, to boycott an entire state? there are many things that any one of us disagree with in this world, so go after it directly, especially in this country where we have to power to do so. Friends of Animals seems to have their act together and can certainly figure out a way to go after ther wolf-hunt program that doesn't make them come off as looney. Their boycott will probably affect (if at all) those they don't mean to target and won't touch the ones responsible for the program. There are plenty of people living up here who don't agree with it, do you think that their boycott is actually telling Alaskan's something they don't know? There are roughly only 500,000 people in the entire state, and when someone farts in Bethel they can tell you who did it in Ketchikan the next day. As for those Alaskans I've seen post here who agree with the state boycott your low self-esteem makes you a suck-up. Treasure your state, it's not all ariel wolf-hunt programs. You don't like it go to the source with your voice. In Alaska that is one thing we can do much better than in those over-crowded states down below - we actually have a chance at having our voices heard by those in power. And bob, as for 'reductio ad absurdum' I'm sorry, but I don't speak any French.
[Blog editors' note: At risk of repeating ourselves,there are diverse voices in Alaska, and twice in the last decade the majority have resisted aerial wolf control by voting to make it illegal at the polls -- both in 1996 and 2000. Those voices were ignored by Alaska's state lawmakers, so the opposite to what you claim is true, Salty. Principles matter. It's Alasksa's wolf control wingnuts who are considered loony and out-of-pace with the rest of the nation. ]

the wolf is my spirit guide. I feel very strongly on this horrible injustice to one of the most misunderstood creatures here on earth!. they are truly majestic creatures and should be treated with reverence and respect.
peace, beth

I am a full Alaskan Athabascan! I have a full line of my ancestors depending on big game animals for food for their families and community. The over population of wolves is outrageous. Don't get me wrong I like wolves they are beautiful animals. You must remember that they won't think about saving your butts if you were standed in the middle of nowhere in Alaska. They see you as their meat and satisfaction of thier needs...FOOD....same thing my great grandfather depended on to feed his wife and large amount of children. We have potlatches for someone who passed away, almost died, baby got their first hair cut, and all this other special occasions. It is hard to make ends meet when their is a lot of wolves feeding on moose and caribou. Like I said, "You must remember that wolves won't be thinking about saving your butts when you are in the middle of nowhere."

I just went on my first moose camp. what a horror. after 8-10 bullets in the head and his throat cut, the moose was still alive and trying to escape. I did not use to think subsistence hunting was cruel, but I do now. I also live in Alaska and am native.
Its hard to believe the above comment- we had wolves all around us the whole time and they never paid any attention to us and never had a successfull kill, they did clean up the guts - it's about all they got. the illegal airplane hunters in the next camp shot most of the moose and did not even take most of the meat. With over 800 cow permits given out in this area, its hard to believe wolves have even a remote hand in the true decimation of moose. I guess orphan calves will be on the menu for wolves this fall...
Indy Sarah James